


At The Opera Tonight

by BombshellKell



Category: Pacific Rim
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and stuff, Gen, Kaiju! The Genetic Opera, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-30 17:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BombshellKell/pseuds/BombshellKell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little more than a snippet from my Repo/Pacific Rim AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At The Opera Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this thing: 
> 
> http://kaijuscience.tumblr.com/post/65290845524
> 
> Which was based on a whimsical idea I had late at night.

Mako didn’t know what she thought she was doing, or why she was doing it, as she got into the car. There was an oval box, not unlike a hat box, on the seat next to her, which she reached for and sat on her lap as Pentecost’s voice came in through her wrist communicator, short and clear in diction. 

“Mako, these shoes are much like a pair I bought you when you were younger. I would be honored if you wore them to the show tonight.”

Mako licked her lips as she opened the box, brushing aside the black tissue paper and finding the shoes underneath. They were bright red, and shiny, with two straps across the top and gold buckles holding them closed. They were so clean and new, something she hadn’t experienced for a long while, and she was almost afraid to take them out of the box. But perhaps her nervousness came from another place. 

“Be brave,” she whispered, holding onto one of the shoes tightly. “This is how you’re going to escape. But you must be brave.” 

\- - - 

Raleigh never felt alone when he went to visit Yancy’s grave. It was as if he could still turn to his brother and speak with him, even though he was in the ground. He felt Yancy’s spirit inside of him still, like an urge to keep fighting. But the urge was weakening every day. He sat down on the steps of Yancy’s mausoleum and put his head in his hands. 

“This is it. This is the end. I’ve made my peace. I hold no grudges.” He looked up at the stone impression of Yancy carved into the angel statue’s face, the stretching wings. The surgery to attach those kaiju wings was what killed him, and Raleigh always hated that they’d chosen to include them on the statue. It felt like a slap in the face. 

“One last time,” he said to Yancy. “Onstage just one last time. To show off my new eyes, and then I’ll get out of here. Mako told me no, she’s not leaving. I can’t do anything else.” He swallowed hard. “But there’s still one more thing I can do tonight.” 

\- - - 

“Chuck.” 

Looking up from the suit helmet he was holding, Chuck gave his father a glare. “I can’t believe we’re gonna do this.” 

“We don’t got a choice, mate. It’s either one or the other. Who would you rather do in, eh?” 

“Myself,” Chuck snapped. “I don’t wanna kill anybody we know, that’s different.” 

“How’s it different, then?” Herc crossed his arms over his chest. “Cause I don’t reckon it is at all. You either feel bad about everything we did for Stacker over the years, or you stop feeling bad about this. I don’t like it any more than you, but I like feeling safe, and if we don’t do this, we’re not gonna be safe for long.” 

Chuck pressed his lips together. “No chance for peace, is there?” 

Herc sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “No. One way or another, we’re endin’ this tonight. No matter who ends up under the knife. There’s gonna be blood.” 

Chuck nodded, looking down at the helmet again before pulling it over his head. Through the clear visor, Herc saw his eyes harden. “Let’s get out there, then.” 

Herc watched his son move past him, wishing he’d given him the opportunity for a life outside of repossession. But it was too late for that. It wouldn’t even be the end of the show that night before the streets would start running with blood, and Herc saw Chuck grow up for the last time. 

\- - - 

“Come on, come on, just one more,” Newt was begging, following Hannibal down an alleyway. He was ignored; Hannibal knew Newt probably didn’t have any money on him, and promises weren’t his kind of currency. But Newt was persistent. “One more shot of Blue, one more skin segment for a graft, I have to look awesome tonight and I already got a bad skin graft this morning. It took like three hours to fix. I know you won’t sell me shitty skin.” He ran to catch up, holding up a roll of bills. “I can pay you now. Upfront.”

Hannibal turned abruptly, making Newt bump into his chest. “If I give you one more shot, will you leave me the hell alone?” he asked, snatching the money from Newt’s fingers.

Newt’s eyes brightened, which immediately told Hannibal that no, he wouldn’t. But fifteen minutes of silence was better than none. He took a vial of KaiBlue from his pocket and a gun from where it hung on his belt loop. Newt backed up against the wall and put his leg up on a crate, finding a rip in the leather of his pants close to his inner thigh and spreading it open. Hannibal loaded the vial into the gun and held Newt’s leg with one hand, sinking the needle into the flesh of his thigh. 

“Aw, man, that’s good,” Newt breathed, as Hannibal withdrew the needle and the gun. “Can’t feel fucking anything...” 

“Good. Now get out of here. And take this, while you’re at it. It’s got a tear in it, can’t sell it to anybody else.” Hannibal threw a vacuum-sealed pack of kaiju facial skin at him, then grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away from the wall. He watched Newt stumble up the alley and stop to lean against the brick. 

“Fuck... this show’s gonna be great...” 

\- - - 

“Hermann. Tendo. Are you ready?” Stacker coughed into a handkerchief before looking back up at his two ‘faithful’ employees, standing at attention in front of his desk. 

“Absolutely, Mr. Pentecost. We’ve just set the stage.” Hermann was sporting a stitched up incision across his entire forehead, no doubt from his latest DIY brain surgery. He was tapping the head of his cane against his palm impatiently, the hidden blade in it completely sheathed. 

“The theatre has never looked better,” Tendo added. He was sporting a new scalp with thick black hair, slicked back into a pompadour, scars seamlessly covered. Unlike Hermann, he hated any evidence that he was not in fact born as perfect as he thought he looked. “Neither have I, actually,” he added with a grin. 

“You know how important this night is,” Stacker scolded them, standing from his desk. Both seemed to straighten up a bit. “Make certain nothing goes wrong. You two are going to be the faces of the company after Raleigh is gone. Don’t disappoint me.” 

“Yes, Mr. Pentecost.” Hermann tightened his grip on his cane.

“You got it, boss.” Tendo smoothed back his hair. 

“Good. Now get to the show.” 

\- - - 

Mako stepped out of the car in her new shoes, the only color she was wearing with her black tulle dress. She looked up at the theatre and nodded resolutely. 

\- - - 

Raleigh stood from the mausoleum’s steps, looking one more time at Yancy’s statue with his new eyes. “They can take whatever they want,” he said. “I don’t have anything left to lose.” 

\- - - 

Chuck wiped off his surgical knife on his coat, tucking it into its place on his belt. Herc thought he’d chosen Raleigh, but Chuck had known all along that he was going to pick Stacker. 

\- - - 

Newt smoothed the kaiju skin over his forehead after peeling off the skin that was already there. This one was so much better. After all, the glowing specks only made it more realistic. 

\- - - 

Stacker boarded the lift long after Tendo and Hermann had left, and started coughing almost as soon as the door had shut and he was out of earshot of anyone. When he looked down at the handkerchief, it was splattered with blood.

Yes, tonight was his last chance.


End file.
